Reassessment of the Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean) presence in the western Tien Shan
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Reassessment of the Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean) presence in the western Tien Shan K. A. Kolobova 1 & D. Flas 2 & A. I. Krivoshapkin 3,4 & K. K. Pavlenok 4 & D. Vandenberghe 5 & M. De Dapper 6
Received: 29 March 2016 / Accepted: 22 July 2016 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
Abstract Kulbulak (Uzbekistan) is among the most important Paleolithic sites in Central Asia. Based on excavations from the 1960s to the 1980s, a stratigraphic sequence yielding 46 archeological horizons of the Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic has been described. The lowermost 22 layers were at that time defined as Acheulean, both in cultural and chronological aspects. Based on these previous works, Kulbulak has thus often been cited as one of the rarest occurrences of Lower Paleolithic and Acheulean in the region. However, this attribution was debatable. New excavations at Kulbulak in 2007–2010 provided new material and the first reliable dates that permitted us to tackle this issue. Moreover, a reappraisal of the lithic collections and documents from previous
* K. A. Kolobova [email protected] D. Flas [email protected] A. I. Krivoshapkin [email protected] 1
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS, Acad. Lavrentiev Ave, 17, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
2
TRACES – UMR 5608, University Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Maison de la Recherche, allée Antonio Machado 5, 31508 Toulouse, France
3
Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova street, 2, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
4
Altay State University, Lenina Ave., 61, Barnaul 656049, Russia
5
Laboratory of Mineralogy and Petrology, Department of Geology and Soil Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 (S8), B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
6
Physical Geography, Geomorphology & Geo-archaeology of Mediterranean and Tropical Areas, Department of Geography, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 (S8), B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
excavations was also conducted. These new data clearly indicate the absence of Acheulean or even Lower Paleolithic at Kulbulak. On the contrary, the lithic assemblages from this site only correspond to Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods. The lowermost layers are particularly interesting due to the presence of an early industry with blade and bladelet technology. Keywords Paleolithic . Acheulean . Blade and bladelet technology . Central Asia
Introduction Lower Paleolithic industries have been found at a few sites in Central Asia. The clearest instances come from the sites of the Bloess Paleolithic^ in Tajikistan, like Kuldara, Karatau, Lakhuti, and Obi-Mazar-4 (Davis and Ranov 1999). The term Bloess Paleolithic^ was used by Ranov to designate the Lower Paleolithic complexes with pebble technique in Central Asia in the loess sediments (Ranov, 1988). Surface collections from western Turkmenistan (Krasnovodsky Plateau, see Vishnyatsky 1996, 1999) and central Kazakhstan ( M u g o d j a r y, K o s h k u rg a n a n d S e m i z b u g u , s e e Derevianko et al. 2000; Derevianko et al. 2003), as well as debatable assemblage from Selungur (Islamov et al. 1988; Velich
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